>> thousands of syrians flee for the turkish border as government forces encircle rebel forces in aleppo. >> i'm maryam nemazee, you're watching al jazeera live from london. also coming up, burundien refugees say the government is sending agents into camps to hunt down its opponents. >> this is is a victory that cannot be denied. >> julian assange said that he

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has been illegally detained by an embassy in london. and we'll tell i couldn't the u.k.'s art market could be bidding farewell to the boom times. all right, we start with breaking news this hour, hundreds of people are trapped in a building in southern taiwan. this after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake. it was center in the southeast of the city and 10 kilometers deep. these are some of the pictures we're getting. you can see emergency services are on the scene. a number of buildings have been impacted. some buildings have collapsed, as you can see there. and we can now speak to adrian brown, who is on the phone from beijing. and adrian. what are we hearing about how

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it's impacted in the affected area. >> suspects show several collapsed buildings, one in particular in the city of tianan. it was a strong earthquake measuring around 6.4 on the richter scale, and it happened at the southwest tip of the rebel. now the quake occurred less than 10 kilometers. which is why there may be well be a lot of damage. as yet at this time no confirmed reports of any deaths so far. of course, this quake has happened just as people hear in china and taiwan, hong kong and around the world, chinese communities are preparing to celebrate the chinese new year. now taiwan, it has to be said, is a seismically giv active zone. the most recent earthquake was

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in 1999 when 2,000 people died, and that happened in this same area. it is a very seismically active area. a lot of buildings in taiwan are quake proof. i guess we'll learn how quick proof those buildings were. but the focus of attention at the moment is the city of tainan on the southern tip of the republic. >> adrian, for now, thank you very much. adrian brown watching the situation in taiwan, where we see an earthquake 6.4 in magnitude. as adrian was saying there is no report of any fatalities, casualties or injuries. we'll stay on top of that for you. multiple buildings have been effected, and as you can see emergency services in the country are responding. let's move on, syria's government and it's allies are

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intensifying theiragest cities of aleppo. they tighten their grip on rebel supply lines. tens of thousands of people are fleeing. many are now now on the turkish border. >> the syrian government and it's allies have managed to capture another town in the northern aleppo countryside. but the opposition is putting up a fight. there was fierce resist stance. we still do not know if the opposition will prevent the government from achieving its pe objective. the army command saying they're close to achieving this, but they have not been able to do so. the fight something ongoing on the ground. civilians are trapped in the conflict, and many of them are trying to find a safe place. the suffering is growing. tens of thousands of syrians are

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again on the move. those who have arrived to the turkish border are not being allowed in. these people are from the northern countryside of aleppo. many of them arrived on foot. many of them came with nothing. there is no safe area for these people as the government pushes ahead with the major offensive in the province. >> we left our homes because of the bombings by the russians, the yawnens and the shia army. we want erdogan to let us in. >> for now there is no indication that the gates will be opened. instead, turkish humanitarian aid agencies have been providing assistance to the displaced and helping them set up temperatures. >> every city in turkey has an open policy for refugees, but over the past few months restrictions have been put in place, also turkey has been under pressure dealing with the

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2.5 million syrians in this country. >> those trapped in the battleground are also under pressure. villages and towns from the aleppo vicinity countryside have become waste lands. there have been hundreds of strikes since the ground assault earlier this week. and there have been dozens of casualties. the airstrikes are not just starting the front lines. neighborhoods have been hit. people have abandoned their homes, their livelihoods. the ongoing government offensive has cut through the heart of the rebel-held territory in syria. this has severed the supply line, but they are still fighting back. a number of factions have created a joint command and are calling on all men in the area to take up arms. the opposition fighting for its survival in this corner of syria. the last remaining stronghold in the north as groups described as the moderate rebels. this is the one remaining road

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that supplies the rebel controlled eastern districts. for now the road is still open. keeping it that way is vital keeping the 300,000 people supplied with basic necessities. it is the only way in and out. the military has said its just a matter of time before it's troops and it's allies reach this junction that would allow them to close the circle around the city. and yet they would find themselves under siege. aleppo is not the only battleground. there are many front lines in syria and the government is on the offensetive, especially in the town province. in fact, the government and it's allies have managed to capture a town which really brings it closer to the provincial capital. the provincial capital is now under threat. this is in the south of the country. many you speak to now are

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frustrated. they feel there is the birthplace of their revolution, and they risk losing that stronghold a few years back. they lost the capital of the revolution, the city of homs. now they're putting up a fight to protect the heart of the revolution. the province of aleppo. and it lies on the turkey border. that has been the lifeline of the opposition. >> well, our correspondent sent us this update from the united nations in new york. >> the united nations security council, as you mentioned, did hold these closed private meetings, and they heard directly from the man who was really in charge of this. they briefed the council and gave a very grim assessment of the deteriorating humanitarian situation. it seems to be getting worse by

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the day. particularly as you mentioned around aleppo as the syrian army continues their offensive there. backed primarily with russian airstrikes that have actually picked up during the geneva peace talks. so the situation is getting very bad, as we heard we've heard syrianed pushing their way towards the turkish border. that's what the updating of the security council was about, number one. but they heard from a special envoy, and he updated the council how the gentlemen me have a talks, why they were put on hold. gave them a very frank assessment of what was going on, and you really got a sense here at the security council of the deep situations.

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the u.k. and france who clearly want peace in syria, but have differing opinions of how to reach the peace, and who was responsible for the geneva talks having to be postponed. let's listen to what they had to say. >> the syrian regime have made no concessions. quite the contrary on the one hand the syrian regime claims to discuss this in geneva, and on the other hand it intensifies the military offensive with the groups it is supposed to discuss, and an unprecedented torrent of fire. all of this with russia's military support within the framework of the military campaign that can only be to for

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pediatricianen any hope of peace. the peace process for the sake of the process is meaningless. it must produce not only results and be credible to all syrians. the humanitarian improvement, the conditional and tangible humanitarian improvement, and the response of that criticism. is that all those things needing to be addressed during those talks? so those people who have no have been refusing the continued offers for them to arrange practical cooperation between us and them in the situation of syria, they do not really have ground to criticize us. >> this is important. this is new. the russian ambassador says his country hopes to come to the table with a new proposal

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involving cease-fire in syria. this is important and this is new. he would not go into details, but we can imagine that it will be discussed next thursday when credit is a support group, that is a loose knit group of 12 countries and alliances all with a stake in syria's future. they're going to be meeting, trying to get the peace talks back on track. his talks that are now pretty much frozen. >> there is much more to come. the weather pattern that is wreaking havoc across the world. an emergency situation in new york after a crane collapsed in the city.

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>> let's take a closer look.

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>> even though we're in here, we're still human. >> how harsh conditions affect people on both sides of the bars. >> why did scott take his own life? >> the jail. >> some people might be scared to speak out but i'm not. i'm telling the truth.

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>> welcome back. you're watching al jazeera. let's take you through the top stories. hundreds of people are trapped in a building in southern taiwan after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake. the quake was centered southeast and was 10 kilometers deep. tens of thousands of syrians flee the fighting in aleppo. and a senior russian diplomat said any saudi arabian plans without president assad's consent would be illegitimate. now more than 200,000 people are

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estimated to have fled burundi since violence broke out. but as malcolm web reports, refugees say they're being attacked by government militia. >> in tanzania more than 40,000 refugees fled ongoing violence in neighboring burundi. when we visited we were only allowed to interview refugee who is were being screened. the u.n. said it was for protection. several other people wanted to speak to us about the security in the carp but they were not allowed. so we contacted them by phone after we left. >> the camp is currently not safe. we live in fear of burundi government militia.

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they say the agents have attempted abductions and killings and say the agents are still at large. manner thought they were joining a group in burundi but learned it was a trap formed by militia and many were killed. >> some of our group were tied up. they were loaded on a truck and driven away. they killed my friend but i escaped over the border in the capital the u.n. said any of the refugees should have been

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allowed to speak and officials were not aware of the cases. >> we had solid evidence, and of course it would be our duty to try to do something about it. but through the government we're not responsible for the security and safety. >> here tanzania police searched their baggage for weapons. the tanzania government said they were not aware of the allegation. >> some refugees were at prehanded. >> meanwhile, the u.n. report indicates that the recruiting and training of burundi refugees to fight against the about a run di government in this

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neighboring refugee camp in neighboring rwanda. rwanda denies this, but some say part of the problem is that they're desperately short of funding to deal with the refugees. the refugees say they just want to be safe. malcolm webb, al jazeera, tanzania. >> after malcolm filed his report we spoke with the burundi government, who deny they're sending militia into those camps. >> i only heard of those allegations. i never heard anything of that nature before. in answer ways. in any case, anything that happens beyond the borders of burundi is not from the responsibility of the government

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of burundi. >> u.n. legal panels say that julian assange's movement should be respected. he sought asylum in the embassy in london in 2012, and he has not left the building sense. >> the sweet feeling of victory. that's how julian assange describes it. he savored this moment on the balcony holding up the report that said he suffered arbitrary detention. >> what right does this government or the u.s. government or the swedish government have to deny my children their father for five and a half years?

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>> in geneva, the spokesman said that the decision was based on the fact that assange has never been formerly charged with the rape allegation. the authorities wish to investigate. >> the five years the investigation is still primarily, no charge have been filed, and still he has been deprived of his liberty. >> but the british and american governments say that assange is on the run from justice hiding from the embassy. >> this group is made up of lay people, not lawyers, and it's right that he should not be able to escape justice. this is a ridiculous finding by the working group, and we reject it.

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>> julian assange's wikileaks posted thousands of secret stows documents on the internet and refeeling classified documents. he said he fears if he is sent to sweden he'll be handed over to the americans. >> julian assange is back in the news, but it's not clear how much more has changed. it's been awkward for the british and swedish government, but the british police are adamant that if julian assange steps down from the ecuadorian embassy on to the streets of london, he'll be arrested straight away. >> brass the british, swedish and ecuadorian governments will now try to reach behind the scenes some compromise. otherwise it's. hard to see how this farcical stand off will come to an end. >> one person has been killed

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after a crane collapsed in new york. the victim was sitting in a parked car when the crane's boom broke and smashed through the roofs. an investigation is underway to determine what caused the accidents. turkey's prime minister said that the peace process with the kurds cannot resume until the pkk rebels lay down their arms. they reveal a master plan to rebuild the area. they promise to investigate the equivalent of $9 billion to restore security. >> we have seen that many social moons have developed. >> a global weather phenomeno phenomenonnal nino has been reversing the climate in large areas of the world. it brings rain to areas that are

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normally dry. while we're in california it is hoped that el niño can help with a long-standing water shortage. >> the last few years have been tough for california farmer jordan parsons. >> since 2011 we've had complete crop failures the last four years in a row. and in terms of the irrigated stuff we've seen acreage drop because it can't hold up. >> now for the first time in a long time his fields are green thanks to the weather system that is bringing water to california. scientists measuring the snowpack say it's well above average for this time of year. near san diego where surfers catch pacific waves, they take readings of ocean temperatures at the end of the pier.

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but it won't wipe out the effect of years of drought. >> it's unlikely and it's not shaping up so far. even if we had a strong el niño we would be unlikely to erase our way out of so many years of drought at this point. >> no one knows how strong the el niño will be. so the 38 million californians need to keep conserving water. >> we can't say that the drought is over yet. we're still in the rainy season. we don't know how much we'll end up with, so basically the message has been people have really stepped up to the plate and tried to conserve in the urban sector, and we want them to keep doing so. >> farmers complain about the water set aside for the environment and species including the commercially valuable salmon. >> as a farmer it's hard to be satisfied. >> officials say they're following the law. >> the law requires that the

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water be provided for them. >> more rain would be good news for california, but there is bad news as well. el niño downpours could cause flash floods and mudslides, and already some areas are seeing severe coastal erosion. heavy january storms swamp parts of southern california, and in pacifica south of san francisco high tides and battering waves have left these buildings teetering on the edge. >> all the storms are hitting and mr. are places falling off the cliffs. >> el niño needs to leave before their homes tumble into the sea. >> the global art market is worth an estimated $70 billion after the economic crisis. they bounce back quicker with some artwork doubling in value in just a few years. now the art bubble may be about

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to burst. as neave barker reports. >> it's passion day at christies. a sale reserved for the super rich, works by picasso and other modern masters fetch millions of dollars a piece. with many works snatched up by rich chinese buyers who ensure that prices remain high. >> this he is mate estimated £7 million. >> it's yours, sold. >> at this high end, art is an asset to be traded. experts warn the market may be ready for a klum. christianers at the university of luxembourg have been analyzing the results of millions of sales over 30 years. they're showing that art sales

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fluctuate like our commodities like gold and real estate and now we're heading to a big dip. >> a lot of people who are specialists of the art market have been expecting the market to cooldown and i think we're seeing it this year. i think we saw it top in may last year, and since then we've seen a bit of a cooling. will it collapse? i don't think so. will it hit a downward trajectory, i think we're seeing that this year. >> christie's sold $7.4 billion in art last year. $1billion less than a year earlier. falling oil prices and concerns about a slowdown in the chinese economy are worrying the world's wealthy. but it's the smaller commercial galleries gathered here at the london art fair that are feeling the squeeze. the problem with many of these galleries is that there is now too much art and not enough buyers willing to hedge their bets on new or lesser-known talent. it has forced many galleries to

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reduce their prices and some to close their doors all together. >> it's very difficult. in london prices are enormous. it's hard for small galleries to maintain their presence. that's the threat to young galleries. it's really sad because there is no way to sustain their presence and support younger artists if they can't afford that overhead. >> art and money has historically gone hand in hand. but as the wealth tightens the purse strings, others could suffer. >> we want to bring you a quick update on the situation in taiwan where an arc has taken place in the south of the country. 6.4 magnitude, but we understand knife aftershocks have follow that shook the city for about a half hour, and those aftershocks were 3.8 in magnitude after the

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initial quake. you can see emergency services and firefighters at the scene. we understand that this is all taking place in the southeastern city of tainan. no reports of casualties yet. we'll stay on top that have for you. for more you can go to www.aljazeera.com. >> it will wake you up before you'll feel it. it's just like a pressure or a force that's coming through your bedroom. >> kind of a weird jolt, or-- a feeling that something's getting ready to happen. the-- the dogs can kinda get funny right before a big one. >> the primary is the one that's, you initially feel. you don't know it's coming. >> all of a sudden, you hear this bang-- kind of a loud pop, and the whole house will jolt. >> it sounded like a sonic boom.